I'll Be With You
by HoldOnToYourTunaCans
Summary: When Kagome is mortally wounded in battle, Inu-Yasha blames himself for not being there to protect her. In her own world, Kagome is hospitalized and seems to be recovering perfectly until she becomes inexplicably ill. Will Kagome live to see another day?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned Inu-Yasha there would be more than 167 episodes. Nope, the only thing that's mine is the plot of this story. The rest belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

(Italics are thoughts)

Chapter One

"Damn it! How could I let this happen? I'm such a fool! …Dammit!" Inu-Yasha could be heard cursing at himself from a small clearing in the middle of a dense forest.

A small voice from his shoulder said, "Master Inu-Yasha, there was nothing you could do! It's not your fault!"

Inu-Yasha replied sharply with, "Oh, shut up Myoga. It is my fault, I left…" Miroku was sitting on the ground a few feet away from Sango.

"Don't be like that. It couldn't be helped." He said in an attempt to calm the hanyou down.

"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself." Sango simply didn't want him screaming any more, but after his next reply of "WILL EVERYONE STOP TELLING ME THAT?!!!? It WAS my fault!!! I'm to blame!" she knew it would be a while before he stopped.

She decided to try again at the risk that he would blow their eardrums out. "Inu-Ya-" she was cut off by a very upset "Just leave me alone…" from Inu-Yasha as he walked out of the clearing and into the forest.

Sango walked over to Kagome, sat beside her, sighed and thought '_Poor Kagome_'.

"He's taking it so hard" she commented.

"Well of course he is. He's in love with her. I would be acting the same way if it happened to you."

There wasn't even enough time for her to blush before Shippo started to cry, "Ohhh, Kagome! Is she g-gonna be o-okay?" with a slight sniffle.

'_Poor Shippo. Kagome is like a mother to him. This must be so terrible for him_' Sango thought.

-Skips To Inu-Yasha-

Inu-Yasha could be found on a beautiful riverbank watching fish. '_Kagome… Why is this happening? I can't believe this. She can't really be dying… Can she?_' He took another glance at the fish and walked away sighing.

-Back At Camp-

"Uunh…"

"Hmmm?" everybody said at once. Realizing that it was Kagome, Sango went to her.

"Uuuh… Inu… Yasha…"

"He's not here, he went off…" Sango told her.

"Not… here…?" Kagome asked.

"Shippo, Kirara, go find Inu-Yasha." Miroku ordered.

"Shippo's going to find him," Sango said to Kagome.

Kagome lay there looking at the trees above her and thought, '_Man do I feel bad. Am I dying? Uuh, that fight was more than I could handle I guess… And where did Inu-Yasha go? Probably beating himself up over me. The thing is, there's no need to. It's my own fault… What was I thinking?_'

"As soon as it's possible, I think we should take her to her own world. She'll get better medical attention there," Sango said to Miroku. Miroku knew she was right. He'd been thinking the same thing for a while now. "I agree." He said.

-With Shippo and Kirara-

As they were flying over the forest looking for Inu-Yasha, Shippo heard a very loud thud. It sounded as if something very big hit the ground very hard.

"Hm? What was that noise?" As he looked around, "Hey wasn't there just a tree there? Kirara, take us down."

-With Inu-Yasha-

"Master Inu-Yasha, at this rate you'll cut down the whole forest in a week! That was the third one in an hour!" the little flea complained while jumping up and down on his shoulder.

"So? I'll chop down every damn tree on Earth if I want to!"

All of a sudden Shippo came running out of some underbrush yelling, "Inu-Yasha, Inu-Yasha!"

A little surprised by the kitsune's appearance (how could he not have smelled Shippo and Kirara coming?), Inu-Yasha asked a little stupidly "Huh? Yeah, what is it?"

"It's Kagome! She woke up and she wants you!" It was evident that Shippo couldn't hold in his inexplicable excitement.

"Ok. I'm comin'." And he started off in the direction of the clearing with Shippo flying behind him on Kirara's back.

-A Little Later-

"Oh, you're back. Good." Miroku stated.

"She's doing a little better. She came to at least" Sango informed Inu-Yasha.

All of a sudden Kagome heard voices '_Hm? What are they talking about? Is Inu-Yasha back?_' "Inu…Yasha…?" she managed to say.

Inu-Yasha's sensitive ears heard her plainly and he ran over to her saying "Kagome! Kagome, are you okay?" He knelt and sat next to her. Kagome smiled and looked up at him.

"Inu-Yasha… I'm sorry…"

He was thoroughly confused. "Huh? For what? It was my fault. I left and let you fall into danger. This wouldn't have happened if I had been there! I'm so sorry Kagome!" for a second he almost looked like he was going to cry.

Kagome tried to sit up but Inu-Yasha stopped her. "Hey! What are you doing? You're gonna hurt yourself even more! You're very badly hurt, just rest."

Kagome gave in and said, "Okay…" '_I'm so tired I could sleep forever!_' she thought.

"You know, we should probably get you to your own world. You could go to a hopsitel." Inu-Yasha said.

"I think you mean a hospital." Kagome corrected him.

"Whatever it is, you need one." He defended himself.

'_No arguments there_' she thought. "Yeah…Okay."

"We'll go as soon as you're up to it" Sango said.

Kagome almost forgot the others were there. "Okay… The sooner, the better…"

"Does that mean you want to go now?" Sango asked incredulously.

"Uh-huh." was Kagome's reply.

"Well alright then" Inu-Yasha said as he picked her up. Kagome was always surprised at how easily he did this. His strength always impressed her. How could someone be so strong and rough and at the same time so gentle and caring? For some reason she was always happy around him…well except for when he was a jerk and she had to sit him. That always made her mad, but it was so funny sometimes to see the way he crashed into the ground, making an Inu-Yasha sized hole in the earth. Then she would storm off and when she came back he would always apologize for whatever it was he did wrong. She was so lost in her thoughts that she missed it when everybody said their cheerful get-well good-byes. She only noticed they were leaving when Inu-Yasha jumped down the well and it became suddenly dark.

A/N: Okay, well this is my first fanfic so it probably isn't very good. However, if you like it, please review. I know you've probably heard this a thousand times, but a brutal critic is what every writer needs, so tell me what you do or don't like and I'll try to make the story as good as I can. I will try to update as often as I can, but since school is starting in a couple of weeks, I might not be able to update very much. Hope you liked it! () Also, I'm sorry the chapter is so short!!! I just revised it and it's about 415 words longer than before but it's still really short.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha, but if I did there'd be more episodes. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Okay, I had this written when I put the first chapter up, but I didn't know if I should add it onto the first chapter or make it a second chapter. I decided on the latter. Okay, enough of my babbling. On with the story!!!!!!!!!

(Italics are thoughts)

Chapter Two

After jumping out of the well, a climb that would have been a clamber for anyone else in his position, Inu-Yasha slid the shrine door open and stepped into the late afternoon light outside with Kagome in his arms. Looking around, Inu-Yasha noticed Sota, Kagome's little brother. He'd only met this little kid a few times before, but Sota seemed to hold him, Inu-Yasha, in high esteem. It was such a change for him, being respected. Nobody ever looked up to a lowly hanyou. Why would they? Hanyous were generally considered scum. Youkai were always respected, mostly out of fear, but respected all the same, and humans? Humans were respected and loved by each other. Hanyous were hated by both. Inu-Yasha was insulted by everyone he met. It wasn't his fault he was born that way, but what did they know? As a result he had very little trust in people. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Sota's voice.

"Hey! Inu-Yasha and Kagome are back! Hi you guys!"

"Hey, Sota." Inu-Yasha said half-heartedly. "Hey, go get your mom and grandpa. Kagome's badly hurt and needs a doctor. I'll take her inside."

Sota suddenly looked concerned. He paled and said "Um…Sure…" as he saw the blood on her shirt. Inu-Yasha went inside following Sota and laid Kagome on the sofa in the living room as Sota disappeared into the depths of the house. A few seconds later Hitome (Kagome's mother) and Gramps (that's what they called their grandpa) came running in. Just as a worried mother should do, Hitome rushed to her daughter's side.

"Kagome? Kagome, what's wrong?"

The question was pointed at Inu-Yasha, who just stood there a little nervously.

"Yeah, what happened?" piped up little Sota as he eyed the blood on his sister's shirt once again.

"It doesn't matter right now. She needs help." He said in attempt to avoid the question.

"You're right. Grampa call an ambulance" Hitome called. From the kitchen an old voice answered "Already on it."

As Kagome laid there, she only really heard half of what was going on. Everything was becoming harder to understand. If only everybody would quit talking then she could sleep. She felt that she was laying on something soft. Nothing like that was in the feudal era. She shifted her eyes to the left and saw the back of her favorite couch. When did she get home? Oh, right, the well. Wait, did someone just say ambulance? She decided to speak.

"Hey, what's going on? Did you say…ambulance?"

'_Well, she's talking more, which means she's stronger, but she's also more confused…_' thought Inu-Yasha.

The air was tense for a few minutes with silent worry until they heard a siren and a knock on the door that told them the ambulance had arrived. Everyone could hear as Hitome answered the door. "Hello, she's in here…" Hitome entered the room with three people following. The first one glanced at Kagome and hurried over to her. She pulled Kagome's shirt up enough to take a look at her abdomen. The wounds there were deep and dark. "I see the bleeding stopped" she commented as she thought '_That's usually not a good sign. What happened to this girl? That boy has her blood all over him._' She looked around and addressed her two partners. "Okay, you two, lets get her to the ER." The other two paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher and rolled her out of the house. A few minutes later as they were about to close the ambulance Hitome said, "Okay, everybody, get in the car. We'll follow them to the hospital."

Inu-Yasha inwardly groaned. He hated those weird metal things. They always made him feel a little queasy. What was the phrase Kagome used for that feeling again? Oh yeah, car-sick. One of the worst feelings in the world. Besides that, he could get to any place faster than a car. When you were running around on top of buildings and trees, instead of waiting around in that giant mess of cars and people, nothing got in your way. You could get straight there and back without turning a corner every few seconds or sitting in something so big and clunky. Besides, Inu-Yasha heard that cars were dangerous. What were those things called that Kagome told him about? Car crashes. She said that huge numbers of people died from them every year. He'd never seen one but thought he knew what one must look like. The name was pretty self-explanatory. Why use a car when you had legs and feet? At least walking didn't make you sick.

-Inside The Ambulance-

Kagome was about to fall asleep. She knew from watching a lot of crime and doctor shows that you weren't supposed to fall asleep in an ambulance. They wanted to keep you awake for various reasons. She couldn't be sure if that was true or not, but if it was, she didn't want to put herself in danger by taking a nap, no matter how well deserved it was. And anyway, even if she wanted to fall asleep, she wouldn't have because this was an experience she wouldn't want to forget. She kept herself awake mostly by thinking of all her friends and family; all the people she loved. The seconds ticked on as she waited for the ambulance to start moving. As she repeated her list of closest friends -Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Mom, Gramps, Sota, Inu-Yasha, Kaede, Kirara, Ayume, Koga, Buoy (her cat)- each name connected to a memory, an image, or a thought, she noticed that one named flashed across her mind more than the others: Inu-Yasha.

It occurred to her that she wanted Inu-Yasha to be with her all of a sudden. She didn't know why, she just did. Would that lady get Inu-Yasha for her? She decided to find out. "Inu-Yasha…" she muttered. "Hm? What did you say hon?" asked a motherly voice. Kagome hadn't noticed how pretty her voice was before. "InuYasha" maybe this time she would hear correctly. Kagome didn't saying it more than once. She liked Inu-Yasha's name. It felt good on her tongue. It was fun to say and beautiful. Saying his name was like saying your favorite word over and over again just because you like the way it sounded.

"Inu-Yasha, huh? Okay." In all honesty, she'd heard Kagome the first time. She just didn't know what an evil dog had to do with anything. She went over to where the girl's family was gathered around their car. "Hey, does 'Inu-Yasha' mean anything to you guys? She keeps saying it." Turning at his name Inu-Yasha said "Yeah. That's me." "You're Inu-Yasha?"

"Yeah. That's my name."

The woman just gave Inu-Yasha a satisfied look and said, "Okay, well I think she wants you. You can ride with her if you want. We have to get going."

"Oh wait. Before we go, can I have your name?" Hitome asked.

"Yeah. I'm Kokoro Hoshiko." She said and smiled.

"I'm Kagome's mother, Hitome Higurashi."

Inu-Yasha ran into the back of the ambulance almost hitting his head on the top of its doorframe and Kokoro got into the driver's seat. "Hey, Kagome…" Inu-Yasha said as he sat down next to her. "So how do you feel?" he asked as the ambulance started to move. Kagome didn't want him to be to worried and she hated being worried over, so in an attempt to lighten the mood she replied "Holey…" and smiled at him. It was a lame pun, but fun anyways. She'd always loved it when she read it in a book, but never thought she'd have a chance to use it. Inu-Yasha didn't fully understand it (of course she was holy, she was a miko, but what did that have to do with being injured?) but he smiled anyway because it amazed him that she was a strong enough person to still make jokes at a time like this. Suddenly he felt a gentle touch on his left hand. As he looked down, he realized how close Kagome's hand was to his. S he moved it again, trying to grab his hand. He wasn't shocked exactly, but surprised. Did she really want to hold his hand? He looked at her face and decided it was a yes by what he read in her eyes. He remembered the first time she held his hand. It was on that beautiful day when she came back through the well and told him she stayed with him by choice, not because she was obligated to. Those words had stuck with him all this time. They were still in his heart. He loved that memory and was very happy that he had met Kagome. He'd never known such a person before and he doubted he ever would again. Kagome had been his first real friend. She was more of a friend than Kikyo had ever been, and he was glad that he had unpinned him from that tree. What he loved most about her, and all his friends was that they acted so normal and comfortable around him. They all saw him for who he was, not what he was. It had been a new feeling for him when he had met them all. It was so amazing that he had friends. It was one of the first good things that happened in his life. Friends.

-At The Hospital-

A few hours later when Kagome was released from the ER and put in her own hospital room, Inu-Yasha, Sota, Hitome, and Gramps could be found in he waiting room on the first floor. The door swung open and everybody currently sitting in a chair looked up hoping it meant they could see the patient they were there for. A nurse walked through it and made her way to Kagome's family and Inu-Yasha. Hitome, being a worried mother, spoke first, "How's she doing? Is she going to be okay?"

"Kagome should be fine, but we're not entirely sure how bad off she is. She took quite a beating you know. Oh, and my name is Airi Atsuki."

Sota, being an impatient little brother was doing all he could to keep from bouncing on his toes and couldn't hold it in anymore. "Well, what's wrong with her?" he blurted out. Airi took out her clipboard and said, "Well let's see. She has trauma to the head, several wounds to the lower torso and a broken wrist."

Hitome asked, "Can we see her?"

"I don't see why not. She's in a stable condition. I'll show you to her room" The nurse replied and she walked out of the room with the family following behind her.

One staircase and three hallways later they came to room 1037. The nurse stopped in front of the door and said, "She's very tired so she's probably asleep. If she is, we shouldn't wake her up."

Airi left and everybody walked into Kagome's room. She was lying on a bed in a hospital gown, asleep just as the nurse had predicted. Conveniently there were a few chairs placed around the room so nearly everybody found a seat. For a few minutes they all watched her sleep. She didn't look too good but apparently, she was expected to make a full recovery and for that they were relieved.

A/N: This chapter has a little bit to do with names. I gave the nurse and the paramedic those specific names for a reason. Here are the name meanings:

Kokoro-----spirit, heart

Hoshiko----star child

Airi----------love, affection, jasmine, pear

Atsuki-------warm, kind, cordial

Inu-----------Dog

Yasha-------Female demon (from what I have heard-may not be completely accurate)

So I was making a little joke when Kokoro Hoshiko thought Kagome was talking about an evil dog. Not a very good one but it was fun.

Also, if you haven't seen the show in Japanese or don't know the Japanese words for things, here's the list:

Youkai--------Demon

Hanyou-------Half demon

Miko-----------Priestess

There are more but I don't really watch the show in Japanese very often so I only know a few. There are others that appear in the show.

Please review! I know you're reading this!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: If I owned Inu-Yasha the show wouldn't have ended on a cliffhanger. Also, Kikyo would be dead.

A/N: Up until now I haven't really written about anything on the other side of the well so here it is. Also, I think I'm going to change the style of writing because right now it looks more like a script than anything.

Chapter Three

Sango and Miroku could be found in Kaede's hut. Shippo was outside playing with Kirara.

" I wonder how Kagome's doing" Sango said.

"I'm sure Inu-Yasha will report back soon. We just have to wait and see." Miroku replied.

"Kagome's a strong girl. Don't worry ye-selves too much. Besides, I hear they have better medical means there," stated Kaede.

"I hope Inu-Yasha shows up soon" Sighed Sango.

-With Shippo-

"Kirara, I'm worried about Kagome." Kirara just mewed. "Yeah I miss her too" he sighed.

-At The Well-

"Ow! Man, I hate this well!" came a voice from inside.

Inu-Yasha jumped out of the Bone-Eaters' Well rubbing his head. He started in the direction of Kaede's village. After a few minutes of walking he came upon the village and saw Shippo sitting outside Kaede's hut with Kirara. Shippo looked up and all but shouted "Inu-Yasha! I'm so glad you're back!"

"Hi Shippo." Said Inu-Yasha simply and went inside. Shippo and Kirara followed.

"Hey, you guys look who's back!" Shippo said very excited. Sango and Miroku turned around and questions exploded.

"Is she okay? How's she doing? Will she be alright? How long will she be gone?" Sango said all this very fast. Miroku just said hi.

Inu-Yasha sat down and replied, "They say she should make a full recovery but she needs to stay for a few weeks."

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Sango stated relived.

"Yes, that's very fortunate" Miroku said.

"Would any of ye like any tea?" Kaede asked.

Several voices answered at once.

"Yes please!" came from Sango,

"I'm not much of a tea drinker" came from Inu-Yasha,

"I'll take some" from Miroku,

and Shippo answered, "No thanks, not now." Kirara curled up on Sango's lap.

"Alright then…" A few minutes later Kaede gave Sango and Miroku their tea and Kirara a bowl of milk.

A little while after dinner, which consisted of fish, vegetables and tea, Sango decided to go for a walk. About a minute after she left, Miroku said he was going to look around and walked outside.

"He'll never learn" Shippo commented.

"Heh, got that right" Inu-Yasha agreed.

Miroku, of course, was following Sango. It seemed to him that she was going to the Sacred Tree but she turned before she hit the forest. He followed her until she came to an open meadow and sat down on a hill that looked over it. Miroku waited a minute before walking forward and sitting next to her. She gasped upon noticing his presence.

"Did you follow me all the way here?"

"Was I not supposed to?" was his reply. " No, I don't mind" she told him.

He couldn't help noticing she seemed a little sad. "Sango, may I ask what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just a little tired."

Miroku didn't want to push her so he let it go. Sango looked up at the sky.

"Isn't the sky beautiful tonight?" she asked.

It was an inky dark blue. So dark it almost looked black. The stars were twinkling through the night like pieces of adamant. Miroku looked at her and couldn't help but notice the stars were shining in her eyes. He smiled and looked up at the sky. He couldn't agree more. It was beautiful, but it wasn't the most beautiful thing on that hill.

As Sango sat there looking at the night, she noticed that Miroku was acting unusual. '_What's he doing? Usually by this time he would have tried to flirt with me and been slapped already. Not that I want him to, I mean there is a time and a place for that sort of thing and this is not it. It's just strange is all._'

Miroku apparently noticed her staring at him and gave her a questioning look. She smiled and looked around to hide her blush when she noticed a small patch if Indian Jasmine, her favorite flower. This was the prettiest night she'd seen in a while and she was glad Miroku was there with her. It made her happy to think that they would be married one day. She could remember the day he proposed to her perfectly.

Flashback

She had just been possessed by a demon salamander egg and Miroku had saved her from it. He had suffered many injuries at her hands. Being possessed, she had no control over herself and was manipulated into trying to kill Miroku. They were sitting on the riverbank talking about it later when he asked her in the most beautiful way. She shed tears of joy that day…

End Flashback

As she sat there, lost in thoughts Miroku looked at her and wondered what she could be thinking about.

" Are you gonna go back to Kagome's world tomorrow Inu-Yasha?" Shippo asked.

"Umm… Yeah I was thinking about it."

"Oh. Well tell her I said hi and we all miss her."

"Will do." He assured him.

"Also, if you could, bring back some candy please. I love that stuff!"

"I'll try."

The next day, as Inu-Yasha was about to leave Shippo said, "Remember what I told you last night."

"As if I would forget." He said a little rudely.

"Oh, Inu-Yasha, give these to Kagome for me." Sango gave Inu-Yasha a handful of Indian Jasmine.

"Uuh…Sure…" he said taking the flowers.

"Tell her I wish we could visit her" added Miroku and with that Inu-Yasha jumped down the well.

Inu-Yasha stepped into the light of early day on Kagome's side of the well clutching the flowers Sango gave him. As he looked around he saw the Sacred Tree, Kagome's house and a few other buildings. A little ways in the distance he saw the huge, loud, dangerous and just plain weird town Kagome lived in.

As he made his way to the house he realized just how much things had changed in five hundred years. Thinking about time always confused him. The only thing about it that confused him was going through the well. To him it only felt like a few seconds but was that really all it took for him to go through a five hundred year time difference? Or was he in there for five hundred years at a time, lost somewhere in the time stream? Not to mention the oh-so-famous question; were they messing up the time stream and changing history or was it meant to happen so that not doing it would mess up time? And did it really matter if history was changed a little? Wouldn't time automatically correct itself by putting anything of significance in history books and such? There'd just be different things to learn and nobody would know the difference because they would have gone through life thinking it had always been that way. So many theories, ideas and questions… So many things unknown…Things better left unanswered. He thought about all these things a lot. Time, he decided, was a confusing concept.

He was awakened from his thoughts when he hit his head on something. Looking up, he saw that it was the door to the house. How embarrassing. Upon entering the house he saw Hitome sitting at the table in the kitchen. She recognized who it was immediately. I mean how many barefoot guys in red Kimonos with white hair, amber eyes, claws, fangs and dog ears do you see walking around Tokyo?

"Oh, hello Inu-Yasha" she said.

"Hey. What's up?" he replied.

"Oh, nothing. Grampa and Sota are at the hospital with Kagome. I just decided to come home for some tea. The stuff they serve at the hospital barely qualifies."

As Inu-Yasha looked at her he noticed how…frazzled she looked. Her hair was frizzy, her clothes were a little wrinkled and she looked very tired. Hitome, who always had a neat, clean, happy, loving energy around her and could automatically make a whole room feel airy and sweet was, at this moment, a mountain of tension. Inu-Yasha could almost see the dark energy pouring off her. He could feel a twinge of guilt tug at his heart. To put it simply, he felt sorry for her. He knew how she must feel. Her only daughter was seriously injured and she barely even knew how it had happened. The only information she had was that there was a battle with a strange demon. Then again, what demon wasn't strange in the eyes of a human?

She sighed and took a sip of her tea as Inu-Yasha walked out of the house and said, "Well, bye. I'll come around later I think." "

Oh well see you later then, I suppose."

Inu-Yasha flew from building top to building top. He remembered the way to the hospital. It was a good thing he had a reasonably good memory and sense of direction because otherwise he would have been very, very lost. One of the last things people would want is a lost hanyou in Tokyo. It just draws too much attention. Of course, a hanyou jumping around fifty feet above Tokyo draws a lot of attention too, but Inu-Yasha didn't care. He had a destination.

A/N: Okay I have chapter four pretty much done. It should be up by Tuesday. If it's not, you have the right to kill me, but keep in mind that if you do, you won't ever find out what happens.

OK, I have a list of what some of the characters' names mean. A few of these characters won't even be in this story but I'll put them on here anyway.

Ayame--------------Iris

Hitome-------------Wisdom, intellect, beautiful

Hojo----------------Assistance, aide

Kaede--------------Maple

Kohaku------------Amber

Myoga-------------Unseen help

Rin-----------------Cold

Sota----------------Suddenly, smoothly, thick, big

Shiori--------------Bookmark

I just love to know what names mean. They tell a lot about the character sometimes and are mostly symbolic of some aspect of the character. I just think it's really cool. If anybody knows what some of the other names mean could you please tell me like in a review or something? Thanks!

Also thanks to anybody who took the time to read this thing. It's much appreciated! ()


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: To all my readers (however few there may be) I apologize profusely for taking so long to post this. The truth is I had it written a few weeks ago and just didn't put it up. More has happened to me this month than you would believe. It would take this whole page to list it all… I swear it's the craziest month of the year so far.

Disclaimer: The almighty Rumiko Takahashi owns the masterpiece that is Inu-Yasha.

Chapter Four

When he arrived at the hospital, Inu-Yasha didn't bother with doors. He just found the window belonging to Kagome's room. Inside he found Kagome's grandfather, Sota and Kagome. They all looked up from their conversation when they heard the window open only to find Inu-Yasha climbing into the room.

Grandpa looked very surprised, Sota was in awe and Kagome was just happy. As he walked over to her bed, Kagome noticed that he held some flowers in his left hand. They looked ruffled and windswept but very beautiful. Kagome couldn't recall him ever holding something so delicate and feminine. The flowers showed a sensitive side to Inu-Yasha. She knew that he had one, but he barely ever showed it.

Inu-Yasha was next to her bed in a few steps. He thought she looked pale and she was definitely weaker than he'd ever seen her before. Thanks to him she was cooped up, bedridden and probably in pain. He handed her the flowers.

"Sango wanted me to give these to you. She didn't say what they were called though. Sorry they're so… out of shape" he finished as a petal fell off and glided silently to the floor.

Kagome just smiled and took them. Of course they were bent up a little; they had been through five hundred years, jumped across Tokyo and climbed to the second floor of a brick building. Given the circumstances they could have been much, much worse.

As she examined the flowers, Kagome realized they were Indian Jasmine. She personally loved the flowers and knew why Sango had sent them to her. They were Sango's favorite flower and she knew that Kagome would enjoy them almost as much as she did. If Inu-Yasha didn't destroy them first, that is, but seeing as it _was_ Inu-Yasha, it would have been difficult to expect them to be in better shape. Flowers just didn't hold the same importance to him as they did to the girls. Actually Kagome thought that even Naraku would enjoy flowers more than Inu-Yasha. Well, maybe that was a little harsh. The point was, Kagome knew he had done his best even though he didn't give flowers enough appreciation.

Sota broke the silence by saying "Hey, Inu-Yasha! I haven't seen you in a while!"

"But I was just here the other day."

"Yeah, but it was all confusing and then you just left down the well again."

"So what's your point?"

"But, well I haven't actually talked to you."

Inu-Yasha knew he was losing the verbal battle and that meant that Sota would want to play with his sword. Inu-Yasha did not want Kagome's annoying little brother pulling him around all day begging him to do the wind-scar. It was good to finally be accepted and liked for a change, but too much was irritating. Inu-Yasha liked Sota. He really did but nine-year-old boys just didn't know when to quit.

"Sota, leave the boy alone and get me some tea," said Grandpa.

"Okay…" was the reply as the boy walked into the hallway?

"When Sota gets back, tell him I went to the visitor's lounge down the hall, okay?" said the old man.

"Sure" said Kagome and Inu-Yasha in unison.

Kagome couldn't figure out why Grampa had cleared the room so suddenly. Was simply tired of that chair and thirsty for tea, or did he just think that Kagome and Inu-Yasha would want to talk privately? Kagome just didn't get him sometimes. She had a vague feeling, too, that in her current condition she wasn't thinking as clearly as she could. This place was dulling her mind. She felt like it was hard to hold her head up and her mind was cloudy. So many things didn't make sense anymore. All her feelings were mixed up and hard to understand. She found that sometimes her mind just went blank and she couldn't remember simple things like her own name or age even though she knew she knew them. It was such a frustrating feeling! To have something on the tip of your tongue and not be able say the words ready to be spoken. Putting her subtle confusion aside, she looked at the boy on the right side of her bed.

"Hello Inu-Yasha." It was the first thing she'd said to him since the ambulance ride.

"Um, hi…" he said back, "So how are you dong?"

"Oh, I'm fine. It gets a little boring around here but the relaxation is nice."

Inu-Yasha didn't doubt that. Kagome was a strong, active, energetic young girl. She'd been running around in the feudal era fighting demons and searching for magic jewels for the past year-and-a-half. Of course she was bored. He did think that she needed the rest though. He knew what Kagome and the others had gone through more than anyone. In truth they all needed rest. It had been so long since their battle with Naraku had begun that they'd almost forgotten what peace was. Inu-Yasha knew that the group needed about three months of physical and mental rest to recover from the stress, build up energy and get all of their worst wounds healed up.

"So how is everybody?" Kagome continued. She wanted to hear about everybody's lives as if she were there with them.

"Oh, they're fine. Everybody misses you and wish they could visit. Shippo asked if I could bring some candy back for him."

"Oh his favorites are those little lollipops that come in the bags." It was apparent that Inu-Yasha had no clue what the hell a lollipop was.

"You know, a sucker?" Again with that blank look of his. "The little colorful round things full of sugar on top of the little white stick."

"Oh, those things! Where do I get those?"

"Just ask my mom or Sota. They'll take you there."

"Okay… So has anybody else visited you yet?"

"No. They don't know I'm in here. I'm a little glad because if they came I'd have to make up a story t explain my condition. I don't have that kind of brain power right now."

Inu-Yasha sat down in one of the soft blue chairs scattered about the room and watched as Kagome turned to look at the small digital clock sitting on the table next to her bed. Inu-Yasha hadn't learned how to read a clock yet so the glowing red numbers meant absolutely nothing to him. What was 1-1-4-5 supposed to mean? One thousand one hundred and forty five? And why was that two-dot thingy between the 11 and the 45?

Kagome looked around again and said, "Huh. Eleven forty five already? It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I've already been up for almost three hours."

"Hey, Kagome, what does 'eleven forty five' mean?"

"It means it's been eleven hours and forty five minutes since midnight."

Just when Sota walked in carrying a Styrofoam cup presumably filled with tea. "Hey, where'd Gramps go?"

"Oh, he's in the lounge down the hall," Kagome answered.

"Oh, okay. Oh, before I forget, lunch is at 12:00 just so you know,"

"Good. I'm getting hungry. I think I skipped breakfast."

"I did too," said Inu-Yasha.

"Well do you want some Ramen? I don't think they have it here. You'd have to go home, but there are plenty of vending machines. You'd have to find some change though. Other than that, you'd have to go to a restaurant somewhere. There are plenty of them around here. I think if you want fast food you should go to McDonald's. It's one of the most famous food places in the world. They have pretty good food, but it's very unhealthy. I think if you got over how salty everything is you'd like it, especially since you've never had a hamburger before," Kagome told him.

There were so many things in there Inu-Yasha didn't understand and Kagome said it so fast that by the time she was done he was in a very hungry stupor. Somehow he got the feeling that everything she just said had something to do with food, and even though he had no idea what a vending machine, change, restaurant, fast food, McDonald's or a hamburger was, it still made him stomach growl.

Sota saw Inu-Yasha's face change from concern to pure confusion, then to that of a starving hanyou so fast that it was hilarious. He started laughing so hard he fell to the ground. Pretty soon Kagome figured out what was going on and started laughing too, not very hard though, it hurt too much. Inu-Yasha was at a loss.

"Hey what're you laughing at you little squirt? What's so funny? Huh?"

"You! You just don't know so much about the 21st century that you get confused at every little thing and you just look so funny!" Don't worry; I'll help you out. I'll show you around and help you get a better understanding about this world. But first, lunch," Sota explained.

They talked for another twenty minutes or so and then Sota Gramps and Inu-Yasha went out for lunch.

Kagome was alone for a few minutes before her nurse, Airi, came in carrying a tray of food. Kagome liked Airi. Her name was beautiful and it fit her perfectly. She was very pretty and nice. Whenever she visited Kagome she stayed for a few minutes to talk. It seemed like she wanted to get to know Kagome, not as her patient, but as a person. Other people took care of Kagome but Airi was the one that came in most often. Out of all the employees she'd met so far, Airi was her favorite. One of the things that Kagome loved about her was that no matter how tired or stressed out she was (and you could always tell because her hair became gradually more frizzy throughout the day and the small circles under her eyes got darker) she always tried to make her work about the patient and put on a happy face. Kagome sincerely hoped that they could be friends after Kagome left the hospital.

She gave Kagome the tray and a little bed table to put it on and sat down in the chair directly left of her bed, where her mother always sat and said "How are you doing today Kagome?"

"Oh, I'm fine. My family just left to go t lunch. I think my mom's gonna be here soon."

"Well that's good. So you feel okay?"

"Yeah. I can't laugh or move too much though and I forget things sometimes. I'm also suddenly forced to be left handed."

Airi smiled cheerily and wanted to laugh at the last thing Kagome had said but instead replied "That sounds awful! I've never needed to be in a hospital as a patient before so I can't really relate, but it sounds like a really bad experience."

"Well it's not all bad. I mean, I don't have to deal with school, just do my work here, and I get to sleep and relax all the time. Really, the only thing that's bad is that I'm bored. I feel so useless just sitting here all the time. I'm usually so active."

Airi just smiled and said, "You seem like a very healthy person."

"Yeah. I've never really been sick. The last time I went to the doctor I was four and had the chicken pox."

"Yeah. I haven't needed to go to the doctor since I was a kid either."

Just then Hitome walked into the room looking tired but trying to be cheery. Kagome knew her condition was killing her mom. She knew that on the inside her mother was suffering maybe even more than she was. The fact that her mom was hurting because Kagome was injured made Kagome feel somehow responsible and, admittedly, a little guilty. Every time she thought about it she felt a pang in her stomach and the undeniable sensation of oncoming tears. She just loved her mother so much that it hurt to know she was hurting her however unintentional as it was.

"Oh, hello!" Airi said turning around in the chair. Hitome replied with a very tired sounding voice "Hello. How are you today?"

"Oh, you know. Same ol', same ol'. A lil' busy but not much really goin' on"

"Yeah, I know how that is. Well I was just going to spend lunch with Kagome."

"Oh, alright! I'll go now. Call me if you need anything!"

"Alright. We'll be sure to. Have a nice day!"

"See you guys later!" the nurse said as she walked into the hallway. Kagome reached for a bowl of what looked like mashed potatoes and stirred it around a little bit before tasting it. Hey when it came to hospital food, you could never be too careful.

Hitome sat in the previously occupied chair extracting a bagel and cream cheese with a plastic spoon from a container in her purse. Kagome could never figure out how her mother fit so many unusual things in her purse. It was like a freakin' Mary Poppins bag!

A few seconds went by before Hitome said, "So do you want Sota to pick up your homework for you or tell your friends you're here or anything?"

Kagome thought for a minute before saying, "Yeah. He should probably bring my work to me but I don't want anyone to know I'm here yet. Maybe later. Like next week or something. What is tomorrow anyways?"

"Tomorrow is Saturday, October 19th.

Kagome had to think for a moment before it occurred to her. Her birthday was in six weeks. That year it happened to fall on the third Thursday of November. She seemed to remember seven years ago, the last time it fell on that day. Her mother told her that the Americans had a holiday called Thanksgiving where they just celebrated all they had and all the good things that were in their lives. They spent time with their friends and family. Kagome liked the sound of that. Setting aside an entire day to give thanks.

"Hey Mom, Sota and Gramps took Inu-Yasha out to lunch and to show him around the city. I wish I could be there. I bet it's gonna be really funny!"

"I wonder what they're doing…" Hitome wondered taking another bite of the bagel.

A/N: Well that's the fourth chapter. I'll have the fifth chapter up in a few days probably…

Oh and I know you're reading this so I know you know I asked you to review so could you please DO IT???????????????????

Thank YOU! ()

Also I thank Ymika411, smiley118, aprildiamond, and kokoronagomu for reviewing. Thanks to aprildiamond and kokoronagomu for giving tips and suggestions which I will keep in mind while writing.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey peeps. I know, I know, you all thought I died and you would never hear from me again. Sorry to worry you. I've been kinda busy lately working on like 16 other fanfictions (seriously, I counted) and to be honest I feel like giving up on this thing. I feel like the story just isn't coming! I'm so close to abandoning this story! But I really really don't want to! I have so many ideas for it!

Anyway, here's the chapter. Trust me, it took me a long time to figure out how to write this. The writer's block was horrible. I was dreading going back to work on this story and now I'm beginning to wonder if I should finish it or not. Hopefully this'll work though. Cross your fingers!

Disclaimer: Well, the last time I checked my email, Rumiko Takahashi hadn't sent me the rights to Inu-Yasha yet. –looks up and screams to the heavens- Why won't you come?!

Chapter Five

Sango was humming to herself under the shade of a large oak tree as she polished and tended to a slightly scratched Hiraikotsu. That last fight wasn't exactly a walk in a park and Hiraikotsu had been damaged. As she mended and hummed, she thought about the details of the battle and then remembered the gruesome sight of Kagome rolling over the ground after forcefully being stabbed through the abdomen with three large claws. The pain had to have been tremendous. Good thing Kagome was a strong girl. Sango remembered how Inu-Yasha had screamed Kagome's name as her watched her fly across the ground and eventually come to a halt where she lay, unmoving.

Sango shuddered at the memory. It had been horrifying to watch and even more horrifying to experience. She could remember how she felt as she watched it happen. Her stomach had become nothing but a ball of tension, her throat very tight and everything around her just a blur in her mind. She couldn't remember exactly, but Sango thought she must have cried. She remembered throwing Hiraikotsu as hard as she possibly could at the demons' weakest point, streaming that it was a bastard. Inu-Yasha's habit of cursing at the enemy no doubt had rubbed off on her.

"Hey Sango?"

The demon slayer was pulled out of her thoughts by a small voice speaking behind her. Sango looked over her shoulder and found a very short red headed kitsune with a huge ball of fluff for a tail. His bright red hair was held back in a small blue ribbon tied in a bow as always and clad in his usual blue pants and turquoise shirt with his yellow vest. Before she had turned around completely, Shippo had run at her and jumped into her arms.

"Shippo, what's wrong?"

He sniffled gently and nuzzled her shoulder, apparently for comfort.

"Oh, c'mon Shippo. What's wrong?"

"She's not going to come back, is she?"

"Wha-?"

"She's gonna die isn't she?"

"What are you talking about? Kagome's gonna be just fine. She'll be back in no time. She'll be ok, I promise."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hey, what the hell is this?"

Inu-Yasha, Sota and Gramps were sitting in a booth next to the window at a McDonald's just around the corner from the hospital. Sota had ordered Inu-Yasha's lunch for him; a cheeseburger, a large pack of fries, and a large chocolate shake. He figured this would be about the right amount of food to give Inu-Yasha on his first trip to McDonald's.

Sota thought Inu-Yasha looked like the kinda guy that ate a lot. He probably was the kinda guy that ate everything in sight when he got hungry. Then again, he didn't actually know the hanyou very well and figured it'd take a while to get to know him. Inu-Yasha just didn't seem like the kind a guy it was easy to get close to.

"Well, that round thing is a cheeseburger, those yellow things are French-fries and in the cup is chocolate ice cream." Sota answered.

Inu-Yasha made a confused face at him.

"Listen, just eat it. It doesn't matter what it's made out of and, in truth, you probably don't even want to know, just taste it. You'll like it, I promise. Oh, and this'll make the fries taste better. Here." Sota put a bottle of ketchup in front of him.

Inu-Yasha hesitantly took a greasy French-fry and popped it in his mouth. It was warm, greasy, salty, squishy and crunchy all at the same time. Sota said that red stuff could make it taste better, right? Hmmm…

Inu-Yasha squeezed a pile of ketchup onto his cheeseburger wrapper and ended up accidentally punching a hole in the plastic bottle with one of his razor sharp claws. Oops. Sota did all he could to keep from laughing at the unfortunate hanyou, including stuffing fries in his mouth to stifle the inevitable laughter.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Inu-Yasha asked irritably as he dipped three or four fries into the pile of ketchup.

"Nothing. Never mind." Sota replied. How could Inu-Yasha be so clueless? This was just hilarious. No wonder Kagome always came home in a good mood after being out with Inu-Yasha. Sota watched as Inu-Yasha's face lit up when he put the ketchup-ed fries in his mouth. His first taste of fast food and he was, what-? Eighteen? Nineteen? Actually, he was a hanyou, which meant he aged a lot slower than humans. He was probably closer to fifty or a hundred. Yet he still had a young adult's body. Sweet. He just got cooler and cooler.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sango found Miroku in Kaede's hut drinking tea with a purring Kirara curled up in his black and violet clad lap, evidently very comfortable. Miroku turned to look at the woman standing behind him. Though she thought she hadn't made a sound, he still knew she was there somehow. He always knew when she was standing behind him. By this time she suspected he could probably feel her presence.

"Why, hello Sango," he said invitingly. She sighed and walked forward across the creaky old floorboards to sit with him.

She responded wearily to her fiancé's cheerful greeting, "Hi."

"It's a nice day isn't it?" Sango seemed kinda sad today. She wasn't talking like she usually did and she seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Miroku never liked seeing Sango upset. For one thing, she was dangerous. An upset Sango was more serious than a screen door in a submarine, whatever that meant. Kagome had said that once. Apparently it was her uncle's saying.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied as she pulled her knees to her chest and folded her arms across them.

"What's the matter?" The monk looked at her with a shadow of concern lining his face.

"Oh, I'm just tired, that's all. I haven't been sleeping like I should," she answered.

"I don't think any of us have. There's too much stuff going on to sleep."

Sango nodded, "Yeah…" She opened her mouth to say something more, but hesitated and closed it again. It didn't matter. They'd find out soon enough. She sighed and felt tears well up behind her eyes, but didn't let them fall.

"Sango?"

"Hm?"

"Are you crying?"

"No." It was true. There was no water streaming down her face and though her throat was tight, she was speaking clearly. No crying.

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm," she answered. Why'd he have to keep asking?

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Sota, what is this?! It's so sticky and it's everywhere!!"

The boy sighed, shaking his head. How stupid could he be? "It's gum, Inu-Yasha, and it shouldn't be everywhere. You're supposed to keep it _in your mouth_!"

The hanyou blindly wove his claws around, "Damn it- Get off me!!"

"It can't hear you Inu-Yasha! It's GUM!"

"I don't care! It's attacking me! Damn it, you bastard get off!!" Another blind swing of claws and a scream.

"Inu-Yasha, you can't do that! Stop!"

"Do you not see this?! It's in my HAIR!!"

"I don't care! You can't go around knocking stop signs into people!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Man, I'm bored!" Kagome complained under her breath. Hitome had left breifly for some reason Kagome'd already forgotten. Probably to buy a soda or something. She sighed. A book. That's what she needed. A good story and maybe a notebook. While she was here, she might as well be productive. Write a few poems maybe a story, read a book and get released. '_Unless I die…_' she thought. '_No! No, that wouldn't happen._' She wasn't in very bad shape if you thought about it. She looked down at herself and invisioned the injuries. They really weren't as bad as they seemed. She'd be ok, she'd have to be. She'd been repeating this to herself for the last few hours, etching it into her mind in a sort of reasurring manner.

The door burst open and Inu-Yasha stumbled in, arms crossed, nose up, and eyes closed; his usual pouting pose. Sota followed, also pouting. Grampa walked in behind them, chuckling, "Well I haven't seen a fight like that since the last time Inu-Yasha was here!"

"Hey, just what are you saying Jijii?" (A/N: Jijii-about the equivalent of 'old man' in English)

"Nothing, just that you seem to bring trouble with you everywhere you go, that's all."

"Keh. Do not. I fix problems. You got it backwards, Jijii."

"Ok, what happened?" Kagome demanded.

"This little squirt gave me some weird demon concoction that attacked me!"

"Hey don't blame me because you don't know how to keep stuff in your mouth!"

"Huh?" Kagome was genuinely confused.

"I gave him a piece of gum and somehow, it got all over the place. I'm not sure but I think there might still be some in his hair. You just can't tell cuz it's white."

Gramps squinted and said, "Yep here's some!" and yanked. Hard.

"Ow!" The signiature bump one obtains from getting whacked in the head from Inu-Yasha arose on Gramps' aged, bald scalp.

He rubbed it and said weakly, "You don't gotta kill a guy for something so minor."

Kagome rolled her eyes. How rediculous. What grown person gets gum in their hair? "Inu-yasha the only way to get it out is to wash it or pull it out by hand. Get as much out as you can. After that, you're gonna wanna wash your hair."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Shippo wandered around Kaede's village looking for things to do. It wasn't long before he found a small group of kids to play with. He walked toward them cautiously, not sure how they would react to him. As he got closer he realized they were playing a game he'd always enjoyed. "Kagome, Kagome," they chanted moving in a circle around the chosen oni. A few of them were giggling "…itsu itsu deyaru?" they sang.

He watched as they continued moving in a circle. "Ushiro no shoumen daare?" As the song ended they stopped circling the middle child and he guessed a name. "Mitsu?" he asked. "Nope, not me!" A girl to his left answered. The boy in the middle looked around. "Darn! I always lose!" he complained.

Shippo walked forward. "Um, excuse me? Can I play?" The children turned to look at him. A boy scowled and said, "No! You're a demon! No youkai can play!"

"Why not?" asked Shippo.

"Because demons are bad," a girl to his right piped up.

"Not all youkai are evil," Shippo said sadly, "Some are good."

"That's just what you'd want us to think isn't it?" the previous boy asked.

"Hey stop it, Hiro-chan! Not all demons are bad! That's what Lady Kaede said and I believe her. Does he look mean to you?"

"Fine, then, Mimi, you can play with him. C'mon you guys." Most of the children left with him immediately. Only one or two followed uncertainly.

"Hey, are you guys comin' or not?" They reverted their attention to their leader and followed.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. Now all your friends left you," Shippo said looking up at the girl.

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to. You don't seem mean, and even if you were you wouldn't ask to play with us. So I believe you." She smiled brightly, "I'm Mitsu."

"I'm Shippo," the kitsune said a little shyly.

"Shippo… I like that name. It's cute," she said sweetly.

"Thanks. Your name's pretty too," Shippo replied, blushing slightly as he did so.

"So what should we do now?" she asked him.

"I dunno, we could go play I guess…"

"I know a great place to play. It's really pretty there." Mitsu said. "Let's go!"

"Ok," Shippo answered, following her.

OoOoOoOoOo

A/N: OMG FINALLY! I finally got this chapter done! Now I can do the next one! That is going to be so much easier than this one!

Ok, now to the real Author Notes:

The ending of this chapter sucks so bad, but I couldn't think of anything to write! I'll revise it later if I find that I absolutely can't stand it. Um, there probably won't be another update for a while. Hopefully not as long as this one though.

Ok, a few things I wanted to say about this chapter:

The name Mitsu means 'Light' which I interpret to mean cheeriness, kindness, happiness and intelligence, so naturally that's how I see the character.

The boy's name (the one Mitsu called Hiro-chan), his full name is supposed to be Hiromasa which means 'Straightforward' if I'm not mistaken, hence his straightforward, deliberate, no-nonsense attitude.

Kagome, Kagome' is an old Japanese game where one person is chosen as the oni (literally troll, demon or ogre) and sits with his/her eyes covered while the other kids circle around him/her holding hands and singing 'Kagome Kagome' which goes like this:

Kagome Kagome Kago no naka no Tori wa

Itsu Itsu deyaru? Yoake no ban ni

Tsuru to kame ga subetta.

Ushiro no shoumen daare ?

But what does that mean? Here's the translation:

Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage,

when will you come out?

In the evening of the dawn,

the crane and turtle slipped.

Who stands right behind you now?

Yes, there is a history and a meaning behind it, just like there is for Ring Around the Rosy, but I don't know it at the moment. When I figure it out I'll tell ya. I just thought it was cool little game and I like that it has Kagome's name in it, which I think means 'Sacrifice'.


End file.
